As a chill seeps into the air, holiday making plans begin! Quilters everywhere start planning their holiday gifts. But - how do you avoid the common pitfalls of a gifted quilt? The internet abounds with posts from upset quilters whose quilt gifts have been poorly received. The recipient did not gasp in wonder! The recipient later used it for her dog!
I get it! It sucks to have something you worked so hard on be under-appreciated. But I've come up with a framework that helps avoid that heartache. But first, my biggest guideline: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO MAKE A QUILT FOR EVERYONE. You can buy them a book! Or if you're dead set on making something, make a freaking potholder! If you pressure yourself to make a quilt for everyone on your list, you are sure to be disappointed by a few.
(this is the stack of quilts I made last Christmas that did not nearly kill me because I used my foolproof framework)
Here's my rule.
They can receive a quilt from you if they:
1. Have expressed an interest in a quilt or desire to have a quilt (and not in the "make me oneeeee I'll pay for fabric" way). They admire your skills and are generous with the compliments. This is Category 1: Appreciation for the art.
2. Are a baby (my definition of baby is quite loose. My 20 year old niece? Baby. My husband's baby brother who is now over 30? Baby.) This is Category 2: Baby.
OR if you:
3. Have a deep desire to express your gratefulness and care for them in a way only a quilt can convey. THIS MUST BE SELFLESS. If they call it a blanket when thanking you, that MUST be ok! They may not understand the work that goes into it! You might see it at a thrift store in a few years but you got to express the gratitude at the time! This is Category 3: Act of gratitude.
In short, the framework for quilt gift-giving falls into 3 categories:
- Appreciation for the art
- Baby
- Act of gratitude
Examples of application:
Quilt for my son's kindergarten teacher: falls into category 3: selfless act of gratitude. There isn't any other way to repay her kindness to our family OTHER than a quilt! (She definitely called it a blanket but WE ARE OK WITH THAT). 
Quilt for said kindergarten teacher.
Quilt for a nephew who just started high school and has spent hours playing legos with my 6 year old: Category 2. He is baby.
Quilt for teenage baby.
Quilt for an old family friend who you see rarely but always says "I love seeing all your quilts on social media! It's amazing that you can do that!": Category 1. Appreciation for the art.
A couple of notes:
Again - BY NO MEANS should you pressure yourself to make quilts for EVERYONE for the holidays. You are not an AI quilt-producing machine. You are a fallible human with limited energy and time.
ALSO - I've seen the terms "quilt-worthy" or "knit-worthy" or "make-worthy" thrown around to describe someone who is "worthy" of a handmade gift. YUCK. Let's not rank our loved ones like this.
Go forth into the world and quilt for those you love! Or don't!
What do you think? Do you have rules for yourself when making quilts for gifts? Let me know!
6 comments
Love this! My gifting criteria is very similar, so cool to see there are many of us on the same page. ;-)
Also, not everything needs to be a quilt! Quilted book/kindle sleeve! Quilted makeup bag! Quilted stocking or Christmas tree skirt! Quilted travel bag! Quilted jacket! Try to tailor more towards what the recipient wants by pairing a book sleeve with a gift card to a local bookstore, or a quilted wine tote with a nice bottle of red!
Thank you! I love this!
“WE ARE Ok WITH THIS”
😂 calling a quilt a blanket is on the same wavelength as calling knitting crochet(and vice versa). Bless their hearts!
I really wanted to read this but struggled with the text. I cleaned my glasses, adjusted settings on my tablet and had a second cup of coffee. I’ll make an appointment with my eye doctor for an exam next week.